Heartland JAPANhttps://heartlandjapan.com
Your Gateway to the Heartland of JapanTue, 18 Dec 2018 08:24:57 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.9https://heartlandjapan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cropped-bl_3-32x32.pngHeartland JAPANhttps://heartlandjapan.com
3232Wakayama Prefecturehttps://heartlandjapan.com/wakayama-prefecture-2/
Mon, 29 Jan 2018 08:58:01 +0000http://heartlandjapan.sakura.ne.jp/sales/?page_id=678Wakayama Prefecture Yunomine Onsen Yunomine Onsen was opened in 1800 and is known as Japan’s oldest onsen town. It retains the essence of its past which visitors can feel. In olden times, Yunomine Onsen would see those travelling the Kumano Kodo take a rest and perform a sacred purification ritual using the hot spring waters. …

Yunomine Onsen

Yunomine Onsen was opened in 1800 and is known as Japan’s oldest onsen town. It retains the essence of its past which visitors can feel. In olden times, Yunomine Onsen would see those travelling the Kumano Kodo take a rest and perform a sacred purification ritual using the hot spring waters. As one part of the overall pilgrimage, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The onsen color is said to change up to 7 times day thanks to the natural hot spring’s rock baths, or Tsuboyu. Classified as a hydrogen carbonate and sulphur spring, the hot spring source reaches 92°C and provides up to 30 liters every minute. It is known to have health benefits for the nervous system, rheumatism, skin diseases and diabetes.

Kumano Sanzan

It is possible to walk around the three shrines of Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha and Kumano Nachi Taisha and the Nachi-san Seiganto-ji temple in a single day. The Kii mountain range has been revered since ancient times as a sacred place, where many deities have been enshrined. The three sacred grounds of Kouya-san, Yoshino Omine and Kumano Sanzan developed independently from their steep mountainous regions spread across Wakayama, Nara, and Mie, helping create pilgrimage routes connecting those three mountains. It was also registered as a UNESCO World Heritage “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range” in July 2004.

Kumano Hongu Taisha

To reach Kumano Hongu Taisha, one must climb the 158 stone steps leading to the main shrine. After passing through the main gate, the thatched roof of cypress bark of the main temple comes into view. The main deity enshrined here is Ketsumiko-no-kami. In ancient times, at the confluence point of the Kumano River, Otonashi River and Iwada River exited at Oyunohara. But in 1889 a huge flood caused turmoil. The surviving structures were moved to their current locations and repaired in 1891. At the modern Oyunohara, there remains a 34 meter tall large gate. In 33 BC, Kumano Hongu Taisha was originally founded. This makes 2018 the 2050th year, which they will be commemorating with various events throughout the year.

Kumano Hayatama Taisha

Kumano Hayatama Taisha is enshrined at the mouth of the Kumano River, with the main shrine decorated in bright, vermilion lacquer. The main deity is Izanagi-no-mikoto. The deity resides within a gigantic rock named “Gotobiki Iwa”, which is revered as Izanagi-no-mikoto is descended from the Kamikura Jinja Shrine nearby. The Oto Matsuri is a famous festival held each year which sees races down the stone steps.

It is recorded that before 660 BC, the deities in Kumano were descended into the Gotobiki rock in Mt Kamikura, before moving and building a new shrine, Shingu, to the current location in 128. According to the Nihon Shoki chronicles, it was written that Emperor Jimmu was worshipped at Kamikura.

Kumano Nachi Taisha

Kumano Nachi Taisha has 6 shrine buildings above 467 stone steps leading to the main vermilion-lacquered shrine. This is the Head shrine of almost 4,000 Kumano shrines from around Japan. The main enshrined deity here is Kumano Fusumi-no Okami, also known as Musubi-no-miya, who was not just the god of matchmaking, but also wishes too. Every July 14th one of Japan’s biggest fire festivals, Nachi-no-Ogi-Matsuri, takes place with one of its performing arts, Nachi no Dengaku, also registered as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. Hiro-jinja is an auxiliary shrine to Kumano Nachi Taisha, with the deity residing in the great waterfall. Hence, it is said that touching the waterfall spray can bring the miracle of long life.

It is said a mythical raven who guided Emperor Jimmu when he went to Yamato from Kumano was turned to stone after his task was completed. Karasu-ishi (‘raven-stone’）is located at the side of the main shrine building in Kumano Nachi Taisha.

Nachi-san Seiganto-ji

Located adjacent to the Kumano Nachi Taisha shrine, Nachi-san Seiganto-ji is a temple of the Tendai Buddhist sect and the first in the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage of 33 Buddhist temples. The mountain’s name is Nachi-san and the Nyoirin Kannon is worshipped here. According to legend, during the Emperor Nintoku era a naked saint from India founded a temple and enshrined a gold Nyorin Kannon at the basin of the Nachi Falls. Later a temple was built at the command of Empress Suiko, where between the end of the 6th century and start of the 7th century Shobutsu Hijiri built a Garan temple, enshrining a 4.8 m tall statue of Buddha and placing Nyoirin Kannon inside its body.

Nachi Falls

Nachi Falls is a waterfall located mid-stream of the Nachi River located in Nachi-katsuura, Higashimuro district. Running parallel to the almost vertical quartz porphyry cliff-face, the waterfall runs 13 meters wide and 133 meters tall – a sight so distinctive it can even be glimpsed from the Kumano Sea. Whilst it is only ranked 12th in Japan for overall height, it is ranked 1st as the largest single-drop waterfall. Alongside Kegon Falls in Nikko and Fukuroda Falls in Ibaraki, Nachi Falls is counted as one of Japan’s three famous waterfalls.

Tours in the Wakayama Region

Heartland Japan offers the following tours inside Wakayama prefecture. Please have a look!

]]>Kumano cityhttps://heartlandjapan.com/kumano-city-2/
Mon, 29 Jan 2018 08:56:45 +0000http://heartlandjapan.sakura.ne.jp/sales/?page_id=676Kumano City Kumano city is located in the south of Mie prefecture. It faces the Kumano Sea and neighboring Wakayama prefecture. Being located in the Yoshino-Kumano National Park, Kumano is blessed with abundant nature and a mild climate. You can also find many sightseeing spots including Tategasaki, Onigajo, Shishiiwa, Shichiri Mihama, Maruyama Senmaida and …

Kumano city is located in the south of Mie prefecture. It faces the Kumano Sea and neighboring Wakayama prefecture. Being located in the Yoshino-Kumano National Park, Kumano is blessed with abundant nature and a mild climate. You can also find many sightseeing spots including Tategasaki, Onigajo, Shishiiwa, Shichiri Mihama, Maruyama Senmaida and Hana-no-Iwa-Jinja Shrine.

This is the course from Kii-Nagashima Kata through the Ikkoku Pass, Hirakata Pass, Miura Pass and Kumagaya-michi, that leads to Miura. With each section being fairly small, the path is flat and easy to follow. Compared to the rest of Kumano Kodo’s more rugged mountain paths, navigating this coastal stretch will allow you plenty of time to recover. You can also enjoy the scenic, panoramic Kumano sea views along this relaxed course. The many islands give rise to the name ‘Matsushima of Kii’. It is also recommended to drop in at the onsen, or explore by foot the quaint seaside towns of Furusato and Dōze.

Onigajō

Onigajo’s caves extend for about 1 km along Kumano’s coast, shaped by the stormy waves and earthquakes over the years. This landscape continues until the southernmost point of this rias coast on the Shima peninsula, before merging into the calm scenery of the Shichirigahama Beach. Onigajo is considered a place of scenic beauty and ‘Kumano no Oniga-jo tsuketari Shishi-iwa’ a natural monument. It was selected as one of Japan’s 100 famous views as part of the UNESCO World Heritage award in July 2004. It is part of the “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range”. There is a legend that Sakanoue Tamuramaro, by Emperor Kanmu’s order, defeated a pirate named Tagamaru here, who was feared in the area.

Hana-no-Iwaya-jinja Shrine

Hana-no-Iwaya-jinja Shrine enshrines the deities of Izanami-no-kami and Kagutsuchi-nomikoto.

Izanami is a Japanese goddess, the wife of Izanagi-no-kami in Japanese mythology. It is said that when giving birth to Kagutsuchi, the god of fire, she suffered mortal burns and died. After her death she was buried in Arima village, Kumano, Kii province, where locals worshipped her grave with seasonal flowers. The deity of Izanami now resides within a large cavity, Hotoana, underneath a giant rock which measures 6 m tall, 2.5 m wide, and 50 cm deep. A worship place paved with white stones and a perimeter fence was established. According to another theory, the burial place is actually at Ubuta Shrine located 1.3 kilometer away to the west. At Hana-no-Iwaya-jinja Shrine, an 18 meter tall huge rock facing Izanami’s worship place is the grave of Kagutsuchi. Onawakake Shinji is held every February 2nd (Spring festival) and October 2nd (Autumn Festival).

Kumano Kodo: Fuden-toge Pass

Fuden-toge pass used to be a very important pass connecting the seaside and mountain villages. Beginning in Oroshi, the mountain village is surrounded by beautiful rural landscape and mountains. Following the old road, the mossy stone paving continues. It is thought that as well as pilgrims, local villagers could be found going to and fro along this route between the mountain and seaside villages, to trade their inland harvests and seafood catches respectively. Fuden Oroshi was a deep morning fog that would cover the whole mountains in the early hours, from Autumn until Spring, due to the temperature difference. The moss-covered stone paving here (made from Rhyolite) continues onward through a large cedar forest.

Maruyama Senmaida

Described as the best in Japan, the rice terraces of Maruyama Senmaida are located in the Maruyama district of Kiwa-cho (Kumano city, Mie prefecture) at an elevation of 736 meters above sea level on the south-west slopes of Mt. Shirakura. Whilst the name ‘Senmaida’ literally means ‘1,000 rice fields’, the valley’s terraces cover an elevation range of 160 m (from 90–250 m above sea level) with an actual total number of 1,340 rice fields across 7 ha spread across the land. At the time this was measured in 1898 by Tadao Anzai, it was said there were as many as 2,483 rice fields. Along the mountain path that cuts through the Maruyama rice fields, you will find a giant rock that can make for a spectacular Instagram photo.

Tours in the Kumano Region

Heartland Japan offers the following tours inside the Kumano Region. Please have a look!

]]>Owase Cityhttps://heartlandjapan.com/owase-city-2/
Mon, 29 Jan 2018 08:55:08 +0000http://heartlandjapan.sakura.ne.jp/sales/?page_id=674Owase City Owase City is located in southern Mie prefecture and is 90% mountainous forest. With its rias coastline on one side facing the Kumano Sea and its Kuroshio Current, and enveloped by mountains on the other, the region sees warm air blow in from the south amid humid conditions. These conditions cause more rain …

Owase City is located in southern Mie prefecture and is 90% mountainous forest. With its rias coastline on one side facing the Kumano Sea and its Kuroshio Current, and enveloped by mountains on the other, the region sees warm air blow in from the south amid humid conditions. These conditions cause more rain to fall here than most other areas of Japan, especially between Spring and Autumn. Owase sees as much as 3,848.8 mm precipitation fall on average each year. On the flipside, the region is a forestry powerhouse and is known for Owase Hinoki – a variety of cypress known for its durability and red tint.

The Magose Pass, Yakiyama Pass, Miki Pass, Hago Pass and Sonejirozaka-Tarozaka Climb are all well preserved along the Ise Route of Kumano Kodo.

Sugari

Sugari is a small fishing village with just 165 households and a population of 276 people (as of 2013). During the Edo period it flourished as a port for cargo vessels, waiting for the wind to turn on their way to and from Osaka and Edo (the old name for Tokyo). The rows of houses and streets here make for great photo opportunities.

Tours in the Kumano Region

Heartland Japan offers the following tours inside the Kumano Region. Please have a look!